New Zealand beats Australian Diamonds 50-47 to keep Constellation Cup netball series alive

A second-half fightback by New Zealand has kept the Constellation Cup netball series alive, the Silver Ferns upsetting world champions Australia 50-47 in game three in Melbourne on Sunday.

The Kiwis took their first win in the four-match Test series after trailing by as many as nine goals early in the third quarter.

The three-goal victory was the Silver Ferns' first Constellation Cup win since September 2013, ending Australia's run of 10 consecutive wins against their trans-Tasman rivals.

The turning point came with the introduction of Jodie Brown in the third quarter, replacing Malia Paseka at goal attack and going on to score 17 goals from 23 attempts alongside Bailey Mes, who led the way with 29 goals from 39 shots.

After being behind 15-9 at quarter-time and 28-21 at half-time, the Silver Ferns scored the last five goals of the third quarter to level the scores.

They then finished the strongest and will head to Perth for the last match on Friday full of confidence to square the series.

For Australia, Caitlin Bassett was perfect with 24 goals from as many attempts, while Natalie Medhurst bagged 10 from 14, Erin Bell eight from nine and Caitlin Thwaites five from six.

True to her word, Australia coach Lisa Alexander continued to add debutantes to her line-up, with both Ashleigh Brazill at wing defence and Jo Weston at goal defence given court time.

Bassett was rested after half-time and the Australians struggled to get the ball into the shorter shooting combination of Medhurst and Thwaites.

In an attempt to steady the ship, Bell replaced Thwaites at goal shooter for the final quarter and although she did shoot accurately, the Silver Ferns had all the momentum.

The Diamonds leads the series 2-1 and will retain the Constellation Cup for the third straight year with a victory in Perth.

A New Zealand win will mean the series would finish at 2-2 with the trophy holder to be decided on goal percentage.